Cover-up allegations of former children’s home resident

Andy Done-Johnson

Former Forest Town man Mickey Summers says that he suffered serial sexual abuse at the hands of people he trusted - people who should have been beyond reproach.

These people were not parents or family members.

The 60-year-old told Chad that he was abused whilst he was living in care homes in Nottinghamshire.

He ran away, repeatedly. He climbed trees to avoid abuse. He says he witnessed other children, some with severe learning needs, being raped. And nobody listened.

But Mickey (pictured) feels that he has been betrayed once again by those in authority - by council officials and by the police.

Following years of emotional turmoil, failed relationships, mental health issues and drug abuse, Mickey finally got a grip on his life in 2003.

He reported his abuse to Nottinghamshire Police and asked them to investigate his allegations.

He went to Nottingham City Council, who had been responsible for his time in care - largely at care homes in the city.

He went to Nottinghamshire County Council - who had taken over responsibility for child social care in 1974.

The authorities told him that his records had been destroyed, while police failed to carry out an effective investigation.

Mickey ended up in care following what he describes as ‘chaos’ in his family home in the mid-1960s, which led him into truancy and petty crime.

In later life his experiences led to attachment issues, failed relationships, relapses into drug abuse, times in custody and debilitating mental health issues.

But he’d had enough of being a victim, and he decided to fight back.

He returned to the UK from his home in New York to launch his own fight for justice - demanding a formal public apology from both Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council.

Earlier this month, Mickey and his supporters stormed a council meeting, following a protest in Nottingham’s Market Square.

He told Chad that his childhood records, which he thinks can provide vital evidence of his abuse, have been deliberately destroyed by either the city or county councils – who have both held the documents.

And he has involved the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) who have ruled that his initial complaint should be reinvestigated.

He said: “I have run away from everything in my life - I have never wanted children, because I wouldn’t want a child of mine to have to go through what I’ve been through.

“There needs to be a full public enquiry because there are a lot of people out there who need closure and this is a much bigger problem than either the police or the councils are acknowledging.

“The floodgates need to open now and I would urge everyone who has been the victim of abuse to come forward and demand justice.”

But the authorities say a formal apology cannot be issued until Mickey and other alleged victims’ cases have been proven.

A joint statement issued by both authorities said: “We have already explained to Mr Summers that we have been unable to locate any of his files. The information we have is that his child care file was destroyed in 1978. We have met with Mr Summers and apologised to him that this is the case.

A spokesman for Nottinghamshire Police said: “At the request of the IPCC, the force’s professional standards directorate (PSD) is re-investigating a complaint that was made in April 2014. The complaint relates to the way an allegation first made in 2003 and repeated in 2013 was handled under Operation Daybreak.

“This PSD investigation will, by necessity, review the 2003 allegation as well as a subsequent complaint made in 2004 about that investigation.

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